Tag Archives: Flying Dutchman Productions

Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes-Their Finest Hour: The Flying Dutchman Years. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith, and specially the music he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes at Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. It was home to some of the most innovative jazz musicians …

Gil Scott-Heron-America’s Social Conscience: 1970-1980. After releasing a trio of studio albums on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1970 and 1972, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell’s Strata-East Records. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was well on his way to becoming America’s social conscience. Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, musician, and author …

Gil Scott-Heron-The Flying Dutchman Years. After releasing a trio of studio albums on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1970 and 1972, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell’s Strata-East Records. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was well on his way to becoming America’s social conscience. Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, musician, and author …

Gil Scott-Heron-The Revolution Will Not Be Televised…Plus. Label: BGP. After releasing a trio of studio albums on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1970 and 1972, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell’s Strata-East Records. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was well on his way to becoming America’s conscience. Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, …

LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-THE FLYING DUTCHMAN YEARS. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith. Especially the music the perfect description of Lonnie Liston Smith recorded with The Cosmic Echoes at Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. It would be home to some of the most …

LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-REFLECTIONS OF A GOLDEN DREAM. Of all the artists Bob Thiele signed to Flying Dutchman Productions, Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes proved to be one the most successful. However, success didn’t come overnight for Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes. Neither Lonnie Liston Smith and The …

LEON THOMAS-FULL CIRCLE. For Leon Thomas, Full Circle represented the end of an era. It was the last album Leon Thomas released on Flying Dutchman Productions, and marked the end of his “classic period.” It had started four years earlier in 1969, when Leon Thomas released his debut album Spirits Known and Unknown. Since then, …

GIL SCOTT-HERON-SMALL TALK AT 125TH AND LENNOX-VINYL EDITION. There’s been many an important day in Chicago’s musical past. That’s not surprising. The Windy City has given the world some of the biggest names in music. This includes Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, Nils Lofgren, Patti Smith, Ray Manzarek of The Doors and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder were …

LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-VISIONS OF A NEW WORLD. Bob Thiele understood musicians. He understood that often, a large record company wasn’t the best environment for musical pioneers and mavericks to thrive. This understanding came from a lifetime in the music industry. His career started in 1969. Thirty years later, in 1969, and …

JOHN CARTER/BOBBY BRADFORD-SELF DETERMINATION MUSIC. By 1970, when John Carter and Bobby Bradford released Self Determination Music, Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions had established a reputation for releasing groundbreaking music. This had been the case since Bob left Impulse Records in 1969. Impulse Records had been home for Bob Thiele since 1961. Over the next …

TERESA BREWER WITH COUNT BASIE & THAD JONES -THE SONGS OF BESSIE SMITH/DUKE ELLINGTON WITH TERESA BREWER-IT DON’T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN’T GOT THAT SWING. Eighteen years after releasing her debut album Music, Music, Music on Coral, Teresa Brewer was signed to Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. Theresa’s career was now into its …

THE ESOTERIC CIRCLE-GEORGE RUSSELL PRESENTS THE ESOTERIC CIRCLE. With Norwegian music going through something of a renaissance, it’s fitting that George Russell Presents The Esoteric Circle has reissued by BGP Records, a subsidiary of Ace Records. George Russell Presents The Esoteric Circle was one of the most important albums in Norwegian musical history. Released in …

GIL SCOTT HERON-FREE WILL. Throughout his career, poet, musician, and author. Gil Scott-Heron highlighted the social and political problems affecting American society. He was, to all intents and purposes, America’s conscience. Racism, poverty, corruption, inequality and drug addiction featured in Gil’s lyrics. His lyrics are cerebral, witty, scathing and most importantly, honest as Gil speaks …

EDDIE “CLEANHEAD” VINSON-THE ORIGINAL CLEANHEAD. By 1970, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson was fifty-three. He was a musical veteran. His career was about to enter its fifth decade. Eddie had caught a break. Bob Thiele asked him to sign to his Blues Time imprint. It was a subsidiary of Flying Dutchman Productions. In 1970, Eddie released his what …

T-BONE WALKER, JOE TURNER, OTIS SPANN-SUPER BLACK BLUES. By the late sixties, blues music was no longer as popular. Psychedelia and rock music were the most popular genres. Groups like The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Canned Heat and Fleetwood Mac were some of the biggest selling acts. Along …

LOUIS ARMSTRONG-LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS FRIENDS. 1970 is remembered as a landmark year for Louis Armstrong. It was the year Louis and an all-star band, headed into the studio to record an album to celebrated his seventieth birthday. The album was Louis Armstrong and His Friends, which was recently rereleased on Boplicity, an imprint of …

OLIVER NELSON-SWISS SUITE. It was at 1971s Montreux Jazz Festival that Oliver Nelson showcased Swiss Suite. Oliver had composed the four-part Swiss Suite especially for Montreux Jazz Festival, which was in its fourth year. Founded in 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival took place in one of the most the picturesque parts of Switzerland. Montreux was …

LEON THOMAS-BLUES AND SOULFUL TRUTH. Some labels are a perfect fit for an artist. This was the case with Leon Thomas and Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. They proved to be the musical equivalent of ying and yang. By the late sixties, Leon Thomas had embraced free jazz fully. He turned his back on the …

LONNIE LISTON SMITH AND THE COSMIC ECHOES-COSMIC FUNK. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes Lonnie Liston Smith. That is the perfect description of Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes 1973 debut album Astral Travelling. The music on Astral Travelling was groundbreaking. So much so, that it’s hard to believe Astral …

T-BONE WALKER-EVERY DAY I HAVE THE BLUES. T-Bone Walker was, without doubt, one of the most innovative and influential blues guitarists ever. He was a pioneer of both the jump blues and electric blues. That may seem like a bold statement, but it’s not. It’s the truth. After all, T-Bone was one of the first …